Haters Gonna Hate My Mobile Dream System

I’ve been exploring for months what the ultimate mobile setup would be — my laptop, tablet, phone and other mobile devices — and now I’m starting to put it together.

There’s no way around it: The Apple, Android and Windows fanboys are all going to hate my conclusions and barbeque my decisions.

Why? Because you’re expected to take sides, for some reason. You’re supposed to be an Apple fanboy and get all your stuff from Apple. Or you’re supposed to be an Apple hater, and denounce everything that the company does.

Objectivity and reason get buried under the vitriol.

I’m not out to help Apple or Google. I’m out to help myself, and get the best mobile experience I possibly can.

My conclusion is that as of right now, no one company can provide the best overall mobile experience by itself anymore — not even Apple. And neither can Google, Samsung or any other company.

So let’s start with the opinions, conclusions and decisions that are going to make the haters hate.

* After using a Google Chromebook Pixel for the entire month of May, I had an epiphany that I did not expect to have: Cloud computing rocks. I had previously hated the concept and the practice of living in the cloud. But after forcing myself to cloud-compute exclusively, I found myself loving the peace of mind I got from never managing files or worrying about saving documents or any of the rest of it. (If personal cloud computing makes no sense to you, remember that the iPad made no sense to people until they tried it. All-cloud computing is like that.)

* I now consider Retina-quality displays a requirement, not an option. (If you think this is a first-world absurdity, you’re welcome to go back to a VGA CRT and tell me screen quality doesn’t matter that much). Once I used the Pixel’s higher-than-Retina quality display, I realized that I could never, ever go back to a sub-retina screen no matter how much it costs.

* Despite being thoroughly impressed by the Chromebook Pixel, as well as cloud computing in general and Google’s cloud services in particular, I could not escape the truth that Apple makes the best hardware by far. Apple’s lines of laptops in particular are so obviously superior in every detail to any other company’s, it’s almost ludicrous to argue about it.

* The next (and for many people best) paradigm in mobile computing is not going to be a smartphone plus a tablet — it’s going to be a “phablet” plus at least one wearable device. (I wrote in detail about this concept here.)

* Apple makes the best phone hardware, and the most usable and elegant user interfaces which support the best app store.

* The most compelling experience in mobility, however, comes from Google’s services, which are hobbled on iOS.

* And this is the big one: Getting the best Google experience is more important to me than getting the best Apple experience.

As you can see, these opinions will please none of the fanboys and rile up all of the haters.

But that’s not my intent.

The thing is that I’m a nomad. Most of my possessions are in storage and I live out of a couple of backpacks. I live in different countries, and make my living by using mobile devices.

My mobile setup isn’t just important to me, it’s everything to me. It has to be powerful, fast, convenient, solid and highly mobile. I have to rely on it to not only do the work that sustains me, but plan and live abroad by using online financial and other services.

As you can see from my list of conclusions, several of them are mutually exclusive.

So here’s how I’m trying to resolve these apparently unresolvable conundra.

Objectionable Decision #1: Use a MacBook Pro Like a Chromebook

I spent more than $3,000 on a MacBook Pro with Retina display this week.

This might sound ill-advised on three counts.

First, walking to the Mac table (I bought it at BestBuy, because it was discounted by $150) I glanced at the endless rows of Windows Laptops. It seemed that each cost $400. Hmmm. $400 for a bigger but non-retina screen, hard drive, noisy fan, plasticky case with free stickers on it, loaded with crapware, or digital butter for $3,000. You can buy seven $400 Windows machines for the price of the MacBook Pro with Retina that I bought. Are they really that much better?

Second, as I said, I’m a newly minted believer in the cloud computing concept. So why would I buy a MacBook Pro?

And third, Apple will almost certainly come out with a Haswell version of the MacBook Pro with longer battery life and so on later this year or early next. Why wouldn’t I wait for a Haswell MacBook Pro?

My solution is to buy the MacBook Pro with Retina display and use it mostly as a cloud computing device. That means I use Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Chrome (logged in), and soon, Google Now in said Google Chrome browser. All my communication is cloud-based too, centering on Gmail, Google+ and Hangouts. I’m installing as few applications as possible on the laptop.

Apple tells me I should want integrated products. And I do. My use of a MacBook Pro as a cloud computing device enables me to take full advantage of Apple’s integrated hardware and software, plus Google’s integrated cloud services. In both cases, the integration maximizes the quality of experience.

The bottom line is that combining Apple with Google makes me happy. I get all the joy of using the world’s most perfect full-featured laptop, plus the freedom of keeping everything in the cloud where it’s available on all my other devices — or anybody’s devices, for that matter. I don’t spend time managing files, dealing with app installations (or paying for apps).

To me, paying $3k for a MacBook Pro is totally worth it. Choosing an inferior laptop to save money makes no sense to me.

I will probably use my new MacBook Pro for three years before upgrading to the next thing. That means a $3k laptop costs about $2.74 per day.

That’s all it costs to spend 10 hours a day with an object of beauty and perfection, with an amazing, appealing screen, wonderful keyboard and all the other benefits of this laptop.

Why would anyone endure a shoddy or inferior experience every single hour of every single day to save a couple of bucks a day?

And here’s why I didn’t wait for Haswell. The MacBook Air with Haswell that Apple announced recently didn’t show the radical improvement I thought it would. If the new Air had twice the battery life and 50% better performance, I would assume similar gains for the Pro — and I would wait.

Plus, my eyes need Retina right now. I decided not to roll the dice and wait, but instead get today’s best laptop rather than wait for an uncertain future laptop that is likely to be better, but not radically better.

Objectionable Decision #2: Move to an Android Phablet

My fantasy mobile system would be an Apple “phablet” (a tablet-sized phone) that fully ran Google Now and integrated Google service apps the way the Nexus does. To me, that would be a no-compromises setup, and I would be willing to pay almost anything to get it.

But no aspect of this is likely to ever happen. While I expect Apple to ship a bigger phone, I don’t think they’ll ever ship a phone that’s as big as a tablet.

I would even upgrade to the next iPhone if Apple would simply allow all the features of Google Now (including command integration with Google apps). But I don’t think that will happen, either.

I’ll continue and carry and occasionally use the iPhone and iPad that I already own.

But because Apple isn’t giving me what I need the most, I’m almost certainly going to move to an Android phablet, mainly in order to combine the full Google Now experience with a big-as-possible screen.

I probably won’t get one of the new Google interface phones, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus edition or the HTC One X. I like the Google-centric user interfaces, but want a bigger screen.

I’m thinking about getting a Sony Xperia Z Ultra and rooting it, if possible and necessary. The dark horse possibility is that Sony could offer a Nexus experience version, and that would be awesome. I haven’t seen the actual device yet, but I like the specs — for example, it’s waterproof, has a 6.4-inch screen and you can use anything — a pencil, a stick or anything else — as a stylus.

Either way, I’m going to choose a phablet sometime in the next few months.

Objectionable Decision #3: Choose a Phablet-Connected Wearable

I suspect that Apple’s iWatch will be fantastic if they ever ship one. Again, my dream system would be an Apple phablet, plus an Apple iWatch — two things that may never ship.

The smartwatch and wearable trains are leaving the station and Apple is nowhere to be seen.

I’m not willing to wait beyond September or October, when I next leave the United States again and live abroad as a nomad. So in a couple of months I’m going to pick whatever the best smartwatch is.

The leading contender is probably the Sony Smartwatch 2, which is a second-generation device that has Applesque design and hardware build, as far as I can tell. It supports Android but not iOS, so that’s yet another reason to choose Android instead of Apple.

Another compelling contender is Sony’s recently announced Smart Bluetooth Handset SBH52, which is a Bluetooth peripheral that connects to a phone or phablet, but which functions like a tiny Zoolander-sized phone. You can make and receive calls, play and control music, and all that is happening on the phone.

This clips on, so it’s theoretically a wearable.

I’m Still Hoping Apple Can Surprise Me

I’m willing to wait until Apple’s next announcement before choosing my next phone and my first wearable.

Apple used to shock and surprise us and blow us away with mobile announcements. I would love for that to happen again.

The right combination of phone and watch could shatter my intentions to switch to Android. I truly love iOS 7, and I’m impressed with the qualitative interface improvements.

But I’m not willing to sacrifice the integrated Google experience. And I’m not willing to miss the phablet and wearable revolutions.

I want, need and will buy the very best mobile experience I can get my hands on, and won’t sacrifice that goal for corporate loyalty or blind fanboyism.

Deals of the Day

I’m going to go ahead and make the obvious statement here. It’s obvious that you do show blind loyalty to a corporation. Google is your master. You beg google to take your data and make thousands of dollars off of you because you like google. If they made a toilet that said google on it you would probably dump in it. The irony is literally killing me. God make it stop….

joewaylo

@Travis284 If that was the case, he would have not forgotten the $4,999 Sony/Samsung 4K TV. If it has Google Android that is.

In my case, in October and January I would buy the retina MacBook haswell Pro, iPhone 5S, iPad 5, and maybe the retina monitor but that’s if I’m willing to go overboard there. Given the three first items would cost $3300.

sjsterling

I’m a 100% Apple guy and I agree with your everything you said.

Except I will wait for Apple to do a wearable and phablet because despite not “doing Google”, I’d bet that it will still be a better overall experience than the Android wearable and phablet.

ZomgNerd

What I am waiting for is for the iPad to have a phone. Can you imagine an iPad mini which you can have a bluetooth headset hooked up to as well as a watch which can push updates?! How handy would that be. That’s my dream of mobile right now. The raw power and battery life that only a phablet (iPad Mini) can provide and still be ultra portable and hidden away. Honestly though, you have to realize the inter-integration between iOS and OS X. Apple really is on the right path to a cohesive eco-system. That’s what I want. No one wants a mobile OS put into a large OS (that’s the exact reason Windows 8 sucks) and no one wants a dumbed down OS for mobile devices (think Windows Mobile 3.X) Horrible. Apple is making the right approach, keeping the OS’s different but merging services together cross platform and cross device. How the Maps app in Mavericks can push directions to your iPhone is awesome! That’s the stuff I want to see. People are looking too much at the device (userland) end and not how inter-integrated both platforms together make for a rich user experience (eco-system).

I love how at home with my AppleTV, iPad, and iMac, that I have three independent devices when I want them to be but can also have a single ecosystem to dig deeper into any topic I want. Add in cloud based services (Such as iTunes Match and iTunes Radio, ext) I have an even deeper eco system and user experience. It’s for these reasons I am 100% committed to Apple and the future of Apple.

Whodakat

First really interesting article I’ve read here in some time. I liked hearing the perspective of someone who is truly mobile. A couple of things though, what is the benefit of Google cloud computing over iCloud, other than it being fashionable to bash iCloud? I like the idea of having my docs in the cloud so my phone or tablet can access them, but I want my files on my computer as well. If for nothing else then backup. Ironically, the cloud started as backup for physical computers and now physical computers backup our cloud. But my point is, both is better, and I fail to see a reason why I would leave one out. Especially if I’m carrying a sweet Retina Macbook Pro anyway. (Congrats by the way – we are always a matter of months away from the next latest and greatest whatever, so buy when the time is right for you, not when our corporate masters tell us to, but I digress.) Fundamentally the cloud being baked into the OS is always going to be superior to the cloud as applications. Google knows that, thats why they push Android and Chrome OS. So what exactly would I get to do in a Google cloud that I can’t do in iCloud? Seriously.

I have to admit I chuckled a little when you talked about the SBH52 and phablet combo. Isn’t that basically an iPad and iPhone? Which you already carry! If you are truly mobile, I’d think that would be redundant. There isn’t anything you can do on a 5 or 6 inch screen that you can’t do on an iPhone screen. I watch movies on it, I surf the web, I write, I can do anything on it. Now, would I choose that device to write War and Peace on? No. But thats why my backpack has a Retina Macbook Pro in it, and for that matter if I’m somewhere I’m going to sit and watch a two hour movie, then the Macbook Pro screen is always going to be better than any phablet. To me the argument between a 4 inch screen and a 5 or 6 inch screen is just a personal choice between bling and mobility. Sure an extra inch or two is nice no argument there, but I already have an iPad, and I already have a Macbook Pro, so surely portability plays a superior role in the choice of your most mobile device. Honestly I got drug into a 4 inch screen kicking and screaming. 3 ½ was fine for me, preferred it even. But I got the 5 and seeing how the phone didn’t really get any bigger, I was hooked. Admittedly, I’ll take a 5 inch iPhone. Just as soon as its 100% screen and no bezel. The device itself is a great size, so if and when Apple does make a phablet, it will be the one Apple product I won’t buy. Unless of course they make that their flagship model… in which case tears will be shed.

Personally, i’ll go with the iPhone 5S, and the iPad 5. I’m not a nomad so I’ll stick with my 27″ iMac at home, but if I was traveling like you, the Macbook Pro with Retina screen can’t be beat. And of course, should an iWatch ever be released, count me in! My Jabra Up band will suffice until then.

ZomgNerd

I have to admit I chuckled a little when you talked about the SBH52 and phablet combo. Isn’t that basically an iPad and iPhone? Which you already carry! If you are truly mobile, I’d think that would be redundant. There isn’t anything you can do on a 5 or 6 inch screen that you can’t do on an iPhone screen. I watch movies on it, I surf the web, I write, I can do anything on it. Now, would I choose that device to write War and Peace on?

for me the phablet is best because you get more screen real-estate which also means a bigger battery which means longer battery life. However, people who have a phablet that have to put it up to their ear is NOT, and I can’t stress this enough, NOT the way to go. a small, easy to conceal, in ear bluetooth headset is the way I want it to go. Also, a watch which I can receive messages, alerts, ect to. Imagine you have your iPad Mini in your backpack and an iWatch. With Siri you can get audible mail, voicemail, and messages as well as (in iOS7) have soooo much usability in that system (turn on/off system settings, information you require from wikipedia, get scores, movie times, reserve tables at a restaurant, without taking your iPad Mini out of your bag!). With the watch you have a visual chain to your iPad Mini and I assume you’ll have some system connections (think a tactile Siri). It truly is the best approach to mobile. I think in ear headsets need to get better first as well as Apple need to make an iWatch and give the iPad phone capability. One can hope. But add a Haswell MBP in the mix and you have the ultimate mobile eco-system!

Adrayven

What I am waiting for is for the iPad to have a phone. Can you imagine an iPad mini which you can have a bluetooth headset hooked up to as well as a watch which can push updates?! How handy would that be. That’s my dream of mobile right now. The raw power and battery life that only a phablet (iPad Mini) can provide and still be ultra portable and hidden away. Honestly though, you have to realize the inter-integration between iOS and OS X. Apple really is on the right path to a cohesive eco-system. That’s what I want. No one wants a mobile OS put into a large OS (that’s the exact reason Windows 8 sucks) and no one wants a dumbed down OS for mobile devices (think Windows Mobile 3.X) Horrible. Apple is making the right approach, keeping the OS’s different but merging services together cross platform and cross device. How the Maps app in Mavericks can push directions to your iPhone is awesome! That’s the stuff I want to see. People are looking too much at the device (userland) end and not how inter-integrated both platforms together make for a rich user experience (eco-system).

I love how at home with my AppleTV, iPad, and iMac, that I have three independent devices when I want them to be but can also have a single ecosystem to dig deeper into any topic I want. Add in cloud based services (Such as iTunes Match and iTunes Radio, ext) I have an even deeper eco system and user experience. It’s for these reasons I am 100% committed to Apple and the future of Apple.

It’s called Skype.. works in background, cheep, works with bluetooth headset. Use it on my iPad Mini..

Adrayven

I’m going to go ahead and make the obvious statement here. It’s obvious that you do show blind loyalty to a corporation. Google is your master. You beg google to take your data and make thousands of dollars off of you because you like google. If they made a toilet that said google on it you would probably dump in it. The irony is literally killing me. God make it stop….

I thought the same thing. lol, only reason he got MBPr was for screen/hardware. Otherwise, it maser is Google.

ZomgNerd

It’s called Skype.. works in background, cheep, works with bluetooth headset. Use it on my iPad Mini..

No, I want something more integrated than that. I want telephony (just like on my iPhone) on the iPad. I don’t want to have to leave Apples ecosystem to have telephony on my iPad.

bdkennedy

I don’t know where that iPhone rendering came from but I want it, NOW.

pcdebb

Your phone. I WANT.

I’ve done the back and forth thing between apple and android three times already this year. I’ve given up and given in to bitten fruit.

CharilaosMulder

iPhone (non-phablet), MBPr and iMac 27″ is my dream setup (still don’t have the MBPr). The iPad can’t replace everything I do on my mac, and the reason is of course software (not so much services). About Google, I use search, youtube and gmail. I’m about to drop gmail and use outlook as my spam mail (@me for private), and drop search for bing especially since it gets better everyday and apple is starting to integrate it more than search.

There’s a few times where I’m forced to use a google docs spreadsheet and I will never stand the fact that whatever I create in Google’s ecosystem isn’t actually my property (worse, even). iCloud is delicious, it’s truly an Apple quality service (except from the outages every now and then), but it really lacks collaboration the way google does it. And more importantly, if we talk software and services separately, iWork should be accessible to anyone just like iTunes, without the need of an iCloud account. Meaning, you don’t need an Apple device to use iWork. Only then does collaboration in iWork make real sense.

The iPad, its an awesome device and the benefits of having iOS on your phone as well are HUGE, but I’m still not convinced (of note: its 2013). I love how iOS7 elevates the UX on the iPhone so much it makes it a more usable device. I truly believe 4″ is the perfect size for the pocket, for the hand, for the thumb (especially now that we can swipe back) and for the sake of not having yet another screen size being introduced which will ruin the devs attention to perfectly optimize the UI for the one given screen size we all use.

Fast forward 10 years from now? I want an iPhone with at least a TB of internal flash storage not just being the most important computer in my life, but the only computer in my life. Further UI refinements could make it even more useful, and plugging it into a 27″ display at home or a super thin 13″ display/battery on the go with an optimized experience for each display size would be awesome. Same apps everywhere, exactly the same data everywhere, and the cloud as a tool to backup (not sync) and collaborate. yummy.

ZomgNerd

iWork should be accessible to anyone just like iTunes, without the need of an iCloud account. Meaning, you don’t need an Apple device to use iWork. Only then does collaboration in iWork make real sense.

Even with Google, you need a google account to use the applications to their fullest. Same with iWork in iCloud. It works flawlessly. All you have to do is get a free account with Apple. It’s no different than googles system.

SFChris

Thought provoking article. Here’s my 2 cents. Most of my digital life is also in the cloud but I use Dropbox and Evernote mainly. I have my music in both Amazon and Google’s services.

Phone

LG Nexus 4. It’s the perfect size, for me. Fits easily into my pants pocket, can do thumb typing, etc on it. Less attractive for thieves. Great price so if it did get lost or damaged, I could replace it without draining my bank account. Don’t like that the battery barely lasts 8 hours. I prefer Google Now over Siri and Maps is so much better on Android over iOS.

Computer

Tough choice but I’d go for the full size iPad, if I could only take 2 devices. I love my old (2010) 13″ MBA and as a ‘real’ computer it does so much more than the iPad but I could work from the iPad. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t great frustrated using the iPad but I could make it work.

Ideally, I’d like a 13″ MBA and a retina iPad mini.

Reading

Kindle Paperwhite. Can’t beat the combination of battery life and being able to easily read it in any circumstances. Again, if limited to 2 devices, I could make the iPad work but as an eReader, the Paperwhite is so much better.

NFtoBC

Strikes me that part of a nomadic lifestyle, and living out of a couple of backpacks would include minimizing the load and risk or costs of loss. Carrying all these devices seems counter-intuitive. While managing all one’s documentation through Google services secures your documents, it seems to require a constant Internet connection; iCloud or Dropbox might be better choices, as you can work independent of an Internet connection. As Google services are accessed through a web browser, the load could be lightened considerably, as a much simpler device could be used to access those services. A tricked out 15″ rMBP seems to be excessive for these needs.

One of the goals of a seasonal nomadic lifestyle should be a somewhat less connected lifestyle. You want to enjoy where you are. Thus a minimized setup from my perspective would be an iPad with cellular, Bluetooth headset, and keyboard case. Include Google services if you wish, though iCloud provides a suitable backup in many instances, a quality VOIP service and VOIP app for most telephony needs. Pick up a disposable phone in the locations you travel, or just a new SIM for the iPad. Most of your phone calls can be managed through WiFi at times of your choosing, and the few which can’t are dealt with by use of your cellular connectivity. The VOIP service will easily let you point your “home” number to any device you choose; usually without roaming or long distance charges.

This proposal has compromises, but so does travel of any sort. However, if you are truly nomadic, the fewer a devices you have the easier the easier the travel.

iRobot

Posting this article in CoM will get you Apple fanboys bashing ?. Posting it on CoA will get your pretty much the same from the opposite side.

I agree with you for not being a blind devotee. We should be open enough to get the best hardware & software for our own requirements without blind devotion.

Personally, I use an MBA with Google cloud services & Dropbox. To me Apple still makes the best laptops and I actually prefer OS X over Windows. Since it’s MBA it is very mobile and the lack of storage I negate with Cloud services and an external drive.

I use an S3 with custom ROM (I prefer plain vanilla Android) as my main phone and I used to have iPhone 4 (jailbroken).

iPad mini for content consumption while mobile especially on flights.

Note 10.1 for note taking / sketches during meetings and if I feel I need bigger screen that the mini.

While I’m not really nomadic, on business trips, typically I only took what I need while on the road, i.e. MBA is a must for presentations and MS Office; Note 10.1 instead of iPad mini if heavy note taking in meetings is in the card (easier to email the scribbles directly from Note), iPad mini if Note 10.1 is not needed and of course the phone is always with me. All these connected to cloud services thus enabling interchangeability.

I encourage everyone to try both camps to find what works best for them instead of “it’s either Apple/Google/MS no matter what”. You just might be surprised what you like – no matter how sacrilegious it might seems.

nikster

My 2ct: First of all you have not actually bought or used a phablet or smart watch – you think they might fit in your lifestyle but you are not sure. You have spent $3k on the rMBp and no objections there, I made the same purchase for the same reasons.

I suddenly see many people using cheap small colorful Nokia candybar phones again – these are in addition to a tablet (usually ipad mini) and an android phone (nexus 4) and an iphone. I have gotten used to the total seamless mobile hotspot experience with the iphone – connecing my retina macbook pro via bluetooth takes literally only 1 second, and I am online. Way better than fiddling with whatever password system a cafes wifi is using, and better than wifi period. Instant on.

So what I want is an ipad mini kind of device paired with a tiny cheap iphone (because those cheap nokias dont do simple bluetooh hotspot connectivity). One device with radio to do actual phone calls and provide network connectivity, the other for everything requiring a screen.

Google cloud services are good if youre ok with the us government storing a copy of all your data. I prefer oakspider which is cloud storage the way God intended, client side encrypted so the servers never even know what they are storing,

nikster

By the way I think there never were any fanboys of anything – it is an invention of the internet, to make articles more sassy, which sells more links. Fanboy is a term that is used by a hater who cannot understand the reasons behind wanting the thing that you hate and therefore conclude that you must be an irrational person who is wrong. I reality its always the hater who is wrong, and ignorant,

On the ground and in the real world , people use whatever works. I know many who prefer Android because it has a file system so its inherently more powerful and flexible. Others prefer the UI. For me the iphone hardware is still the killer factor, and the software good enough.

nikster

What I am waiting for is for the iPad to have a phone. Can you imagine an iPad mini which you can have a bluetooth headset hooked up to as well as a watch which can push updates?! How handy would that be. That’s my dream of mobile right now. The raw power and battery life that only a phablet (iPad Mini) can provide and still be ultra portable and hidden away. Honestly though, you have to realize the inter-integration between iOS and OS X. Apple really is on the right path to a cohesive eco-system. That’s what I want. No one wants a mobile OS put into a large OS (that’s the exact reason Windows 8 sucks) and no one wants a dumbed down OS for mobile devices (think Windows Mobile 3.X) Horrible. Apple is making the right approach, keeping the OS’s different but merging services together cross platform and cross device. How the Maps app in Mavericks can push directions to your iPhone is awesome! That’s the stuff I want to see. People are looking too much at the device (userland) end and not how inter-integrated both platforms together make for a rich user experience (eco-system).

I love how at home with my AppleTV, iPad, and iMac, that I have three independent devices when I want them to be but can also have a single ecosystem to dig deeper into any topic I want. Add in cloud based services (Such as iTunes Match and iTunes Radio, ext) I have an even deeper eco system and user experience. It’s for these reasons I am 100% committed to Apple and the future of Apple.

You would think Apple could make a small bluetooth device that can act as a receiver for the rare case you actually want to make a phone call? Then you would not look stupid holding a tablet to your ear, which is the whole reason the ipad doesnt have a phone.

In reality everyone is trying to resolve the same issue: We want a phone and tablet in one, only to be able to magically switch between form factors. Sort of a fold up ipad.

ZomgNerd

You would think Apple could make a small bluetooth device that can act as a receiver for the rare case you actually want to make a phone call? Then you would not look stupid holding a tablet to your ear, which is the whole reason the ipad doesnt have a phone.

In reality everyone is trying to resolve the same issue: We want a phone and tablet in one, only to be able to magically switch between form factors. Sort of a fold up ipad.

Apple made a Bluetooth headset back in the 3G days for a VERY brief time. I have a feeling the Fall will be huge for hardware. Watch, headset, and things which we already know. I don’t want a switching form factor. I want an iPad Mini with telephony, microphone and everything. With a watch and a headset.

Scott Townsend

What I am waiting for is for the iPad to have a phone. Can you imagine an iPad mini which you can have a bluetooth headset hooked up to as well as a watch which can push updates?! How handy would that be. That’s my dream of mobile right now. The raw power and battery life that only a phablet (iPad Mini) can provide and still be ultra portable and hidden away. Honestly though, you have to realize the inter-integration between iOS and OS X. Apple really is on the right path to a cohesive eco-system. That’s what I want. No one wants a mobile OS put into a large OS (that’s the exact reason Windows 8 sucks) and no one wants a dumbed down OS for mobile devices (think Windows Mobile 3.X) Horrible. Apple is making the right approach, keeping the OS’s different but merging services together cross platform and cross device. How the Maps app in Mavericks can push directions to your iPhone is awesome! That’s the stuff I want to see. People are looking too much at the device (userland) end and not how inter-integrated both platforms together make for a rich user experience (eco-system).

I love how at home with my AppleTV, iPad, and iMac, that I have three independent devices when I want them to be but can also have a single ecosystem to dig deeper into any topic I want. Add in cloud based services (Such as iTunes Match and iTunes Radio, ext) I have an even deeper eco system and user experience. It’s for these reasons I am 100% committed to Apple and the future of Apple.

It’s called Skype.. works in background, cheep, works with bluetooth headset. Use it on my iPad Mini..

I totally agree with ZomgNerd, I have had every iPad since the first, all with cellular, and wish I could just have an excellent BT earpiece/mic for phone calls and ditch my phone forever. It’s ridiculous this isn’t supported already, since the iPad has all the necesary hardware baked in. I tried Skype for two months and couldn’t stand the constant delay and disconnects while my phone could hold a call just fine. Ever tried using Skype over cellular and while moving in a car or train? It’s horrible. But I love the audio quality.

My dream is just an iPad with call capabilities and a good BT headset.

stefn

Macaloped. Yeehaw! “Look, you like Google services, particularly Google+. Like, you really like Google+ a lot. We don’t understand that, but we’re not here to question your fringe fetishes. That’s between you and whatever gods you worship. Just don’t pretend to speak for everyone and don’t pretend you’re so aggrieved for no reason.”

lambaline

Something the size of iPod touch 5, with the same weight, thickness, but has cellular

David Miller

This will happen when Apple will have stolen the ideas and technologies coming from Samsung or Google Android… Apple is just a copycat, and a very bad copycat, while Samsung and Google are growing up…Yeah of course, you’ll dislike this speech, y’all Apple fanboys, but think about this… Isn’t Apple the dark side of the brain-washing ???When the iSheep 6 will go on sale, how many of you will run to the stores, just to get the all-new overpaid useless device, just because it’s “fashion” ???If Apple didn’t stole ideas to make the IPhone, Apple would be nothing today… Just saying !